The present invention relates to a process for the production of a novel pattern-forming body usable in various applications including printing.
In the process for the production of pattern-forming bodies wherein various patterns such as designs, images, characters and circuits are formed on a substrate, various pattern-forming bodies are produced.
Explanations will be furnished taking the case of a printing process as an example. With regard to a planographic printing plate used for planographic printing which is a kind of printing method, a planographic printing plate having a pattern comprising a hydrophilic section which accepts ink and a section which does not accept any printing ink is produced, an ink image to be printed on the hydrophilic section is formed by using the planographic plate and the formed image is transferred to, for example, paper to carry out printing. In such printing, a pattern such as characters and figures is formed on a printing master plate to make a printing plate as a pattern-forming body, which is installed on a printer and used. Various types have been proposed as a printing master plate for offset printing which is a typical planographic printing plate.
A printing plate for offset printing can be produced using, for example, a method in which a planographic printing master plate is exposed through a patterned mask and developed or a method in which a printing master plate is directly exposed using an electrophotographic system to plate-make directly on the printing master plate. An electrophotographic offset printing master plate is produced using a method in which a light conductive layer containing, as its major components, a light conductive particle such as zinc oxide and a binder resin is formed on a conductive substrate, this light conductive layer as a light-sensitive body is exposed using an electrophotographic system to form a highly hydrophilic image on the surface of the light-sensitive body and in succession, the light-sensitive body is treated using a fat-insensitizing solution to make the non-image portion hydrophilic, thereby obtaining an offset master plate, namely a pattern-forming body. The hydrophilic portion is made lipophobic by dipping it in water or the like, printing ink is accepted by the lipophilic image portion and the image portion is transferred to paper or the like. However, various post-exposure treatments such as the treatment using a fat-insensitizing solution are required.
Also, a method of producing a planographic printing master plate has been proposed, the method using a heat mode recording material capable of forming a pattern comprising a highly ink-acceptable section and an ink-repellent section by laser radiation. The heat mode recording material has the characteristics that it does not require process such as a developing process and can produce a printing plate only by simply forming an image by laser light. This recording material poses problems concerning the control of the strength of a laser, the treatments of residuals such as solid-like materials denatured by a laser and printing durability.
Also, as a method for forming a highly precise pattern, methods of the production of a pattern-forming body using photolithography in which a photoresist layer applied to a substrate is subjected to pattern exposure, and in succession to the exposure, the photoresist is developed and further etching is carried out or a photoresist is exposed to light by using a functional material as the photoresist to form an objective pattern directly are known.
The method of forming a highly precise pattern using photolithography is used for the formation of a colored pattern of a color filter used in liquid crystal displays and the like, the formation of microlenses, the production of precise electric circuit substrates, the production of a chrome mask used for pattern exposure and the like. However, a photoresist is used and it is necessary to develop using a liquid developer and to carry out etching after the exposure depending on the types of method. These methods therefore have the problem that a necessity of treating waste liquids arises. Also, when a functional material is used as the photoresist, there is the problem that the photoresist is deteriorated by an alkaline solution and the like which are used in a developing process.
Although a highly precise pattern of a color filter and the like is formed by printing or the like, the pattern formed by printing has problems concerning positional accuracy and it is therefore difficult to form a pattern with high accuracy.
Meanwhile, for instance, a method of producing a pattern-forming body wherein a pattern is formed using a material which is changed in wettability by the action of a photocatalyst has been studied by the inventors of the present invention to solve such problems. However, the conventional methods of producing a pattern-forming body by the action of a photocatalyst have the problems that there is a possibility of a deterioration caused by the photocatalyst depending on the type of pattern-forming body because the photocatalyst is structurally contained in the pattern-forming body itself to be produced.